Apparatus for cooling automobiles and the like



APPARATUS FOR COOLING AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 11, 1965 /4 44 INVENTORS. 4L fan 42a Z. Pmu ms EL w/v M 57/15:

05w: Y 0. 50 K0 m WW ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,236,056 APPARATUS FOR COOLING AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE Edward L. Phillips, 8825 Pershing Ave., Orangevale, Calif; Elvin W. Staben, 2300 El Manto Drive, Rancho Cordova, Calif.; and Dewey D. Boyd, 3813 Donna Circle, North Highlands, Calif.

Filed Jan. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 424,725 3 Claims. (Cl. 623) The present invention relates to apparatus for cooling the interior of automobiles and the like, though it is not to be limited to this particular use as it is readily apparent it will have many other valuable uses.

The apparatus of the present invention provides means for cooling the interior of a vehicle, vfor example, a car, by utilizing the existing car heater and cooling the liquid that flows through the heater by the Peltier effect, that is, thermoelectric cooling with a cold junction transfer furnishing means to cool the liquid in the closed circulating system of the vehicle or car.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for cooling the interior of a car utilizing the car heater and providing a compact cooling apparatus that can be readily mounted near or upon the firewall or fender wall of the engine compartment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a small-size, compact cooling apparatus that will pro vide maximum cooling, but which will not interfere in any way with the normal engine, heater system, or the general automobile maintenance.

It is another object of the present invention to pro vide a cooling apparatus for installation in a vehicle which can be normally installed by the average c-ar owner and only requires cutting of the existing heater hoses and connecting these to outlets protruding from the cooling package or heat exchanger.

It is another object of the present invention to provide cooling means for an automobile and the like that will permit cross-connection of the cooling package and the heater system without freeze-up.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cooling apparatus that can be readily installed in an average vehicle and which can utilize the present automobile electrical system which is suflicient in voltage, amperage, and capacity to operate the thermoelectrical units and pump contained in the cooling apparatus.

Various other objects and advantages of the present (invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof and in which;

FIGURE 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of the cooling apparatus embodied in the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, detailed view in section of the heat exchanger shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a section take-n along the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral generally designates a heat exchanger provided with a cold side or cold chamber 12 and a hot side or hot chamber or heat sink 14.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the heat exchanger 10 has a casing 16 in which is disposed polyurethane foam material 18 for insulating the heat exchanger from the engine compartment. The cold side 12 of the heat exchanger is provided with a plurality of fins 20 and has a liquid inlet conduit or pipe 22 and a liquid outlet pipe for conduit 24. During operation the liquid, such as water from the car heater 26, flows through the pipe 22 in heat exchange relationship with the fins 20 in the cold chamber and is discharged therefrom through the outlet pipe 24. A pump 30 has its discharge connected to the inlet pipe 22 and its suction connected by line 32 to the discharge side of the car heater and forces the liquid or water through the cold chamber, thereby transferring heat and cooling the automobile interior using the existing car heater fan to circulate the interior air. The line 24 is provided with a conventional 01f or On valve 34 to stop flow through the car heater 26 when it is not desired to cool the interior of the car. The cold chamber 12 is bonded to commercial thermoelectric units 34 bonded between the cold and hot sides of the heat exchanger with electrically insulative, thermoconductive chemical adhesive. v The cold junction 36 of the thermoelectric units are bonded to the interior shell 38 of the cold side of the heat exchanger so as to cool the water from the car heater as it flows through the interior of the shell 38.

The hot junction of the thermoelectric units is bonded to the interior shell 42 of the hot side or the heat sink and the hot side is also provided with a plurality of metal fins to increase the are-a of heat transfer between the units and the hot side of the heat exchanger. The hot side 14 of the heat exchanger is provided with an inlet pipe or line 46 and an outlet or discharge pipe or line 48. The line 46 communicates with the discharge side of the engine radiator 50 while the line 48 communicates with the inlet side of the engine radiator 50. The existing water pump 52 is utilized to force the water through the engine radiator 50 and the heat sink 14 of the heat exchanger. The engine water pump 52 provides the force necessary for cooling the hot junction 40 of the plurality of thermoelectrical units.

A bypass line 54 interconnects line 48 with line 32. A two-way valve 56 is provided at the juncture of bypass line 54 and line 32. Another two-way valve 58 is provided in line 48 between the radiator 50 and another short line 60 that connects line 48 with line 24.

When it is desired to utilize the cooling portion of the system so as to cool the interior of the automobile, the valve 34 is opened, and the valve 56 is opened to permit flow from the car heater 26 through the line 32 and to the suction side of pump 30. The valve 58 at this time is positioned so as to prevent any flow between lines 48 and 24 through the line 60. Thus the circulation of liquid is from the heater 26 through the line 32, the pump 30, and the inlet pipe 22 and the cold side 12 of the heat exchanger and line 24 back into the car heater 26. The 'hot liquid from the car heater is cooled as it is forced through the cold chamber 12 by the Peltier effect utilizing the thermoelectric unit cold junction to cool the liquid.

The heat is removed from the hot junction of the thermoelectric units by circulating water from the engine radiator 50 through the line 46 and back to the engine radiator through the line 48. The engine fan 62, of course, removes the heat from the radiator 50.

The utilization of the cooling system of the present inventi-on does not interfere with the normal uses of the heater system in the winter, for the heating system can be used 'by positioning valve 56 to permit liquid flowing through the heat exchanger portion 14 through bypass line 54 and line 32 into the car heater 26. At this time the valve 56 is also positioned to close off flow through the portion of the line 32 connected with the pump 30. During the heating operation, the valve 58 is positioned so as to permit the flow of liquid through line 24 from the radiator 26 and line 48 into the engine radiator 50. At this time the valve 58 is positioned so that there is no flow of water through the hot side 14 of the heat exchanger directly back into the engine radiator without it first flowing through the bypass line 54 into the car heat-er 26.

Specifically, when valves 56 and 58 are in the full line position for cooling, air is circulated from air heater 26 through line 32, by pump 30 through cold side 12, pipe 24 and valve 34 back to the car heater. Simultaneously cool fluid from the engine cooling system 50 is drawn through pipe 46, hot side 14, and line 48 "back to the cooling system. When it is desired to heat the vehicle, with valves 56 and 58 in dotted line position, fluid is drawn from the engine cooling system 50 through line 46 into the hot side 14, and thence through line 54 to car heater 26-, from which the fluid returns through line 48 to the engine cooling system. Circulation of fluid through the cold chamber is discontinued during this operation.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the present invention provides a compact cooling system that can be installed in existing automotive heating systems for utilizing thermoelectric cooling units in order to provide a cooling system for an automobile as well as a heating system therefor.

It is to be realized that the present invention is not to be limited by any of the details of description but is to be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling apparatus comprising a vehicle radiator and a vehicle air heater, a heat exchanger comprising an insulated casing, an interior cold shell therein with a plurality of metal fins and an inlet line and a discharge line for flowing heated liquid through said cold shell to cool it, and said discharge line connected to said car heater by a bypass line downstream thereo'f, an interior hot shell therein with a plurality of metal fins and an inlet and a discharge line therein for flowing cooling liquid through said hot shell, said shells being spaced from each other, a plurality of thermoelectric units disposed in the space between said shells and bonded to said shells, said units having their cold junctions in thermal contact with said hot shell, said units having their hot junctions in thermal contact with said cold shell, an air heater discharge line connected to said hot shell inlet line and a pump in said air heater discharge line, said hot shell discharge line connected to the inlet side of said air heater, a vehicle radiator line connected to the inlet side of said radiator and the hot shell discharge line, the radiator discharge side being connected to said cold shell inlet line, and a fan for flowing cooling air through said radiator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bypass line is connected between said cold shell discharge line and said air heater discharge line upstream of said pump, and a two-way valve is provided at the juncture of said bypass line and said heater discharge line.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,199 2/1938 Gaugler 165-62 3,054,840 9/l962 Aloing 623 3,178,894 4/1965 Mole 62-3 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A COOLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A VEHICLE RADIATOR AND A VEHICLE AIR HEATER, A HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING AN INSULATED CASING, AN INTERIOR COLD SHELL THEREIN WITH A PLURALITY OF METAL FINS AND AN INLET LINE AND A DISCHARGE LINE FOR FLOWING HEATED LIQUID THROUGH SAID COLD SHELL TO COOL IT, AND SAID DISCHARGE LINE CONNECTED TO SAID CAR HEATER BY A BYPASS LINE DOWNSTREAM THEREOF, AN INTERIOR HOT SHELL THEREIN WITH A PLURALITY OF METAL FINS AND AN INLET AND A DISCHARGE LINE THEREIN FOR FLOWING COOLING LIQUID THROUGH SAID HOT SHELL, SAID SHELLS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, A PLURALITY OF THERMOELECTRIC UNITS DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SHELLS AND BONDED TO SAID SHELLS, SAID UNITS HAVING THEIR COLD JUNCTIONS IN THERMAL CONTACT WITH SAID HOT SHELL, UNITS HAVING THEIR HOT JUNCTIONS IN THERMAL CONTACT WITH SAID COLD SHELL, AN AIR HEATER DISCHARGE LINE CONNECTED TO SAID HOT SHELL INLET LINE AND A PUMP IN SAID AIR HEATER DISCHARGE LINE, SAID HOT SHELL DISCHARGE LINE CONNECTED TO THE INLET SIDE OF SAID AIR HEATER, A VEHICLE RADIATOR LINE CONNECTED TO THE INLET SIDE OF SAID RADIATOR AND THE HOT SHELL DISCHARGE LINE, THE RADIATOR DISCHARGE SIDE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID COLD SHELL INLET LINE, AND A FAN FOR FLOWING COOLING AID THROUGH SAID RADIATOR. 